Samantha Pitter is beginning her sixth season with the MIT
swimming and diving programs. In 2012-23 she stepped in as acting
head coach from the program, stepping in for Dawn Dill who was on
maternity leave, and was named the NEWMAC Women’s Coach of
the Year after leading the Engineers to their third straight
conference title. She also led the men’s team to a
third-place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships,
the squad’s highest finish ever, and the women to an
eighth-place showing.

Over the past five seasons, her work has been instrumental in
bringing the Engineers to unprecedented levels of success. As an
assistant coach, she helped lead the men’s team to five
consecutive NEWMAC Championships and Top-10 NCAA finishes, with the
team finishing third a year ago and fourth in 2011 and 2012. She
also played a key role in the women’s team notching its first
top-10 national finish in 2012 when the Engineers finished
eighth.

Pitter attended the 2012 Olympic Trials with Wyatt Ubellacker
‘13, the first ever MIT swimmer to represent the Engineers at
such a level. Ubellacker placed 21st in the 50-meter free, narrowly
missing the semi-finals by a tenth of a second. Pitter was
also recognized for her contribution to MIT athletics in 2013 with
a Bringing Out the Best Award from the Division of Student Life and
in 2010 when she received the SAAC Superior Service Award,
presented to the member of the MIT community that goes above and
beyond to provide support for the student athlete experience.

Before arriving at MIT, Pitter earned a Bachelor’s degree
in economics and communication from Hamilton College in 2007. She
was a four-time All-American sprinter, school record holder, team
captain and NESCAC All-Academic recipient during her four years
with the Continentals. She received her Masters of Education in
physical education and coaching from Boston University in 2011. In
addition to her work with the MIT team, she has also coached
masters swimmers for the past four years at Cambridge Masters Swim
Club and most recently Boston University Masters Swim.